School desk



. Oct. 21, 1925- 1,558,827

A. C. BOLSTAD ET AL SCHOOL DESK Filed Sept. 27. 19% 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED CTBOLSTAD AND ARCHIIBALD E. MACQUARRIE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

SCHOOL DESK.

Application filed September 27, 1922. Serial No. 590,786.

principal object of the invention is to pro vide a simple and compact desk of strong and durable construction comprising a desk top and seat in combination with a book container. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter. The nature ofthe invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is illustrated.

In the drawings,Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the improved school desk; Fig. 2

.is a transverse sectional view taken through the seat and the book container; Fig. 3

shows a longitudinal vertical section through -the desk taken on the line'33 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the desk showing certain parts by dotted lines; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal detail section on the line 5+5 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows. I

As illustrated in the drawings, the school desk embodying the features of the present invention comprises a seat 10 which is sup- I ported upon two front legs 11 and tworear legs 12. The front legs 11 are united to each other by a front cross member 13, and the two rear legs are united by a rear cross member 14. Each front leg 11 is united to the opposite rear leg by a side member 15.

The cross members 13, 14, and 15 may be mortised into the legs 11 and 12 as shown by dotted lines at the points 16 in Figs. 3 and 4, or these parts may be secured together by screws, glue or other fastening means known in theart. The rear legs 12 extend upwardly beyond the seat 10 and form supports forth'e seat back 17 which is preferably secured to the rear legs by screws 18 having their heads counter-sunk in the legs as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The

seat 10 may be similarly secured to the side members 15 by means of screws 19 extending downwardly and having their heads countersunk in the upper surface of the seat, or these screws may be extended upwardly from holes in the cross member as shown in Fi!g. 4. The lower edge of the seat back rests upon the upper surface of the rear portion of the seat 10 and the seat also serves as a support for the two side walls 20 of a book container 21. These side walls are secured in place by screws 22 extending upwardly through the seat 10 as shown in Fig. 4 and they are also secured to the seat back 17-by other screws 23. The seat back thus unites the rear ends of the side walls of the boo-k container and the forward portions of these walls are united by a frontwall 24 which extends vertically with its edges mortised in the side walls and secured thereto by glue or screws 25 or other suitable means known in the art. The side wall members 20 extending forwardly formlng projections 26 and these parts are adapted to carry a cross member 27 which is secured to the extensions of the side walls by screws 28 and which projects beyond the side wall members sufficiently to permit other screws 29 to be passed upwardly therethrough to secure in place the desk top 30. This desk top rests directly on the cross member. 27 .and projects laterally from the someextent, as shown particularly in Fig. l.

.The upper surface of this desk top may be provided with the usual pencil groove 31 and with an aperture adapted to receive an ink .well 32.

The upper portions of the side walls 30 I are united at their rear ends by a cross member 34 which projects downwardly between the side walls as shown in Fig. 2, being secured to the seat back 17 by screws 35. This cross member has flanges 34 and 34 which project laterally over the upper-edges of the side walls 20, and the upper surfaces of the cross member and the desk top are adapted to lie flush with the upper surface of a cover 36 for the book container. This cover has plates 38 secured to the underside of'the outer edges thereof by screws 39 and trunnions 40, projectinlg longitudinally from these plates, are journaled in recesses 41 which are formed in the cross member 34 and in the desk top 30. This pivotal hinge connection permits the cover 36 to be swung outwardly and downwardly until it assumes a position substantially parallel with the outer side wall 20 and contacting with a bumper 42 of rubber or felt carried by the side wall. If desired, the cover 36 for the book container may be dropped below the upper surface of the desk top for the convenience of-those who object to the presence of a support for the arm back of the desk top during the operation of writing, but this advantage may also be obtained by swinging the cover to its opposite position and thereby removing the support for the arm of the pupil. The undersurface of the cover 36 is preferably provided with a strip of felt 43 or other noise-preventing material adapted to contact with the upper edge of the inner wall of the book container when the cover is in its closed position.

A simple and rugged construction is thus attained by means of the present invention. The seat and the seat back are rigidly secured to the legs of the desk independently of the desk top and the book container, and the side walls of the book container are rigidly secured to the seat and seat back to provide a firm support for the desk top, which is carried solely by these side walls. The members which carry the desk top serve with the seat back to provide three walls of the book container and a complete enclosure is formed by inserting the additional front wall 24. The cover 36 of the book container permits ready access to be gained to the interior of this chamber and, when the cover is in closed position, it forms a convenient support for the arm of the pupil. v

The desk may be moved around like an ordinary chair or it may be secured rigidly in position according to the usual practice in school rooms. For this purpose small angular brackets 45 may be attached to the lower ends of the legs and to the floor by means of screws 46. These brackets are preferably located on the outer sides of the legs so that they will not interfere with the sweeping of the floor beneath the desks.

Although we have shown and described a single embodiment of the invention for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other forms without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

e claim:

1. A self-supporting unitary school desk comprising a seat, a book container supported entirely by said seat and having a plurality of walls extending upwardly from the upper surface of said seat with'said seat forming the lower wall of the container, and a desk top secured to and supported entirely by theforward portion of said book container and extending laterally from said book container in front of the portion of said seat to be occupied by the pupil.

2. A unitary school desk comprising a seat, supporting means forming an independent stable support for said seat, a book container having a plurality of walls having their lower parts contacting directly with and each rigidly secured to said seat adjacent -one edge thereof and extending upwardly therefrom, and a desk top secured rigidly to the forward portion of said book container and extending laterally therefrom opposite the portion of said seat to be occupled by the pupil.

3. A self-supporting unitary school desk comprising a seat, a seat back extending upwardly therefrom, a book container supported directly on said seat, and a desk top supported entirely by said book container and extending laterally therefrom in front of the position to be occupied by the pupil, leaving a book-receiving opening in the top of said book container between said desk top and said seat back, and a cover for said opening forming normally an arm rest substantially flush with the upper surface of said desk top.

4. A unitary school desk comprising a seat, four legs providing a stable support for said seat independent of any other desk, two of said legs extending upwardly beyond said seat, a seat back secured to said upwardly extending legs, a book container having two side wall members spaced apart with their lower edges resting directly on and each secured rigidly adjacent one edge portion of said seat and with their rear edges secured rigidly to said seat back, and a desk top secured rigidly to the upper edges of the forward portions of said side walls and extending laterally therefrom opposite the for ward portion of the part of the seat to be occupied by the pupil, whereby a strong and rigid desk is provided.

5. A school desk comprising a seat, a seat back extending upwardly from the rear edge thereof, a pair of side wall members supported on said seat and extending forwardly from said seat back, a cross member secured to the upper edges of said side wall members, a desk top supported on said cross member and means extending upwardly through the said cross member for securing said desk top in position.

6. A unitary school desk comprising a seat, means providing a stable support for said seat independently of any other desk, a seat back extending upwardly from the rear edge of said seat, a pair of side wall members supported on the upper surface of said seat and secured at their rear edges to said seat back to provide a strong and rigid construction, a front wall member extending upwardly from said seat and uniting the forward portions of said side wall members, said front wall and said side wall members forming with said seat and said seat back'a closed book container having atop opening, and a desk top rigidly secured to the forward portions of aid side walls and extending laterally therefrom in front of the portion of said seat to be occupied by the pupil.

7. A unitary school desk comprising a seat, a seat back extending upwardly therefrom, a pair of side Wall members resting at their lower edges on said seat and secured thereto, the rear edges of said side wall members being secured to said seat back, said side wall members having their upper parts extended forwardly beyond the forward edge of said seat, and a desk top rigidly secured to and supported entirely by said forward extensions of said side wall members and.

said upward extensions of said legs, a pair of side wall members spaced apart and resting edgewise on said seat ad acent one edge thereof with their rear edges engaglng sald seat back, a desk top secured rigidly to the upper edges of the forward portions of said side wall members and extending laterally therefrom in front of the position to be 00- cupied by a pupil on said seat, a front wall extending upwardly from the forward portion of said seat and uniting said side walls, thereby forming a book containing enclosure adapted to receive books edgewise through the top opening, and a cover for said top opening.

9. A unitary school desk comprising a seat, means providing a stable support for said seat independently of any other desk, a seat back extending upwardly from the rear edge of said seat, a book container, having two side wall members spaced apart with their lower edges contacting with and secured to said seat and with their rear edges secured to said seat back, and a desk top secured rigidly to the upper edges of the forward portions of said side walls and extending laterally therefrom in front of the portion of said seat to be occupied by the pupil, said book container having a book receiving Opfilflllg between the upper edges of said side wa s.

ALFRED C. BOLSTAD.

A'ROHIBALD E. MA QUARRIE. 

